


Monsoon Wedding

by ClioSelene



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClioSelene/pseuds/ClioSelene
Summary: Yue and Sing are getting married. A kind of bonus fic to my story "A Man Among Dragons", but can be read separately. AU, crack, silly and sweet (hopefully).
Relationships: Lee Yut-Lung/Sing Soo-Ling
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Monsoon Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> The title is inspired by the drinks we had with my friend when talking about Yue and Sing last summer. The subtitle is inspired by Finnish song "Made in Hong Kong" by the band Miljoonasade, that starts with: "From a mail order list, I ordered myself a woman. Her face is made of plastic mix.", and the chorus goes like, "My woman is Made in Hong Kong" xD
> 
> This story is supposed to be sweet and silly. And everyone is totally alive here.
> 
> Please, enjoy!

**Monsoon Wedding**  
(a.k.a. Made in Hong Kong)

Everything started with a clone.

Actually, it wasn't a clone, only the finest achievement of the Chinese technological thought: an android. It was made of soft plastic enriched with biological compounds, electronic components and motors; it moved and talked, and it probably could also burp and fart. It would certainly pass as a human being.

"Isn't he perfect? No-one would tell he's not me," Yue announced, both pleased and delighted, introducing his double to Sing, one he'd spent half of his fortune on. "He's going to replace me here, and we'll finally be able to run away to the far end of the world."

Sing kept shifting his gaze between the two version of Yue - trying to suppress an unhealthy curiosity as to what extent exactly could that creation copy a human - and the longer he looked, the more he frowned. He found it hard to believe that a machine could imitate the one and only Lee Yue-lung.

"We have to test him first," he said in the end, then addressed the live doll he really didn't want to call 'Yue', standing there and smiling exactly the way the original did, "I'm Sing Soo-ling, I own an American building concern. I wish to establish cooperation with the Lee Syndicate."

"I will be honored to become your partner, Mr Sing," the android replied politely, bowing his head slightly. "What are your conditions? We are open to suggestions and ready to make some compromise."

Sing looked disapprovingly at Yue, who was still wearing that thrilled expression, and shook his head. Yue stopped smiling and knitted his brows. Sing suppressed a sigh.

"Know what? Have him follow you for a week. Disguise him as your bodyguard or somebody, and have him participate in your business meetings and so on."

"Why-"

"Oh, just do it."

After a week, when Sing presented the machine with the same question, he was fixed with a haughty glare (and despite being almost eight inches taller).

"What made you think that the Lee Syndicate would want to establish a relation with such a small fry?" the android replied with the most commanding tone. "Is there anything your little corporation could offer us? We're playing in a different league, Mr Sing, so stop embarrassing yourself and don't take any more of my precious time. Honestly, some people just can't understand their own position."

Sing looked at Yue and showed him a thumb-up.

"Now it's okay."

* * *

Everything started that evening when Yue said the magical words, 'I want you to be my last,' and then repeated it the next morning. 'It sounded like a proposal,' Sing replied, and insisted on it so long (many years) that Yue finally agreed to marry him. Because they both lived by the principle 'all or nothing', the marriage meant to walk away from their roles as a leader of a syndicate and his right hand man; they decided to disappear from Hong Kong forever and go incognito at some island far away, change their names, sexes and everything else. Well, maybe not so much... although it did escape Yue once or twice that he could turn into a woman, and he certainly didn't mind wearing dresses and a make-up for the rest of his life to disguise himself, quite a contrary.

Suffice it to say that one beautiful day Yue left his clone (that was, the android) in Hong Kong, while Sing finished all his business in New York, and they flew together to Hawaii to build themselves a nice place on one of the less populated islands of the archipelago. Once they made up for all those years of living on opposite sides of the globe and meeting once per month, Yue began to work in the local beauty salon as an acupuncturist and Sing started a bike courier business, not that they needed money. They were pretty rich (they had used to regularly transfer money from the account of the Lee Syndicate to their own that would support them in their new life), but it was a better option to blend in the local population than seclude themselves. However, they still spent most of the time together, taking delight in their daily activities at home.

Sing wondered how it could be possible that, as the time passed, he loved Yue more and more. Looking at Yue's face filled him with joy and holding Yue in his arm made him the happiest man in the world. He began his every day with a smile, waking up and seeing Yue by his side, and he finished his every day, embracing him and whispering the words of love when they fell asleep, exhausted from the passion and ecstasy. Lee Yue-lung was the best thing that had happened to him and soon had become the sense of his life. Sing could no longer remember how it'd been when he still hadn't known about Yue's existence, but it didn't really matter as they were bound to spend the rest of their days together.

One more thing amazed him: that Yue wanted to be with him, although (when seen objectively) it was perfectly logical. Sing was probably the only man in the world capable of bearing with the Moon Dragon, and the person in question was well aware of it. For all his lordly manners, Yue didn't think highly of himself, and the unconditional love he'd been given was like a gift of Heaven to him; he would do anything to keep it. For his part, Sing didn't have any issue with his self-appraisal, but he considered himself to be a perfectly ordinary person, especially in comparison to Yue, whom he regarded through the latter's virtues; as for Yue's fault, he'd long since accepted them.

After a year of their new life in Hawaii - when Sing had learned the topography of the island and got to know half of its population, and Yue had learned how to not burn the scrambled eggs for breakfast and was pretty close to learn how to cook rice - they remembered they were supposed to get married.

* * *

"First, we must set a date," Yue-lung declared, once he stopped being cross with Sing for not being officially proposed to. (It's not that Sing didn't quickly correct that omission: as soon as the next day, he got to his knees and offered Yue a diamond ring, although he pretty much rolled his eyes when doing so). "It can't be winter because winter isn't a right time for... well, anything. May is unfortunate by principle, and summer is too hot. According to the tradition, the best months are-..."

"But the weather is the same all year round here," Sing interjected (pretty sensibly), but Yue-lung decided to ignore him being a smart mouth.

"The best months are June, September and October," he listed. "But then again, they also say that if your mother's marriage was happy, then it's worth to have wedding on the same day."

"I've no idea what day my mother got married," Sing admitted.

"And my mother didn't get married at all," Yue-lung revealed, somewhat embarrassed.

Sing rolled his eyes and said, "Know what? Your approach is wrong. We must set a date that will fit everybody."

Yue-lung blinked in astonishment. "Who everybody?" he asked hesitantly, suspecting he wouldn't be happy with the answer.

"The guests! Unless you're not going to throw a huge wedding party...?"

"Of course I am!" Yue-lung assured him. "We're going to set a date and then send the invitations."

"You haven't changed a bit, always being the center of the universe..." Sing muttered. "People have more important things to do than to attend our wedding in Hawaii, Yue. We must arrange it with them."

"Sergei will be fine with every date!" Yue-lung exclaimed, but Sing only raised his brows.

"Even though he lives the closest, we must arrange it. Your brothers and my family live father. Shorter and the rest of the guys are spread all over the whole East Coast. Akira will come from NY, too, while Ash and Eiji will fly from Japan..."

Yue-lung found himself speechless; he spent a longer while sitting and staring at Sing like an Alien, wondering if he'd heard it right because it was either absurd or disturbing.

"You really want to invite my brothers?" he finally asked in complete disbelief. "And Ash with Eiji?! But... they hate me!"

"Now, they sure don't hate you," Sing objected. "Od course they like you," he added, and Yue-lung decided that such a delusion, despite being cute, was perfectly unbelievable.

"Well, _I_ don't like them!" he called in resentment.

"Yue," Sing spoke after yet another moment of silence, then sighed and shook his head with sadness. "If we were to invite only people you like, then only Blanca would attend," he added, and his words absorbed Yue-lung to such an extent that he forgot to ask who the hell Akira was.

* * *

Contrary to appearances - after all, it was about two former gangsters hiding from the whole world (and especially their own organization) - the wedding with the guest was pretty possible. Ash and Eiji didn't give a damn about the Chinese mafia, Yue-lung's brothers had their brains fried by the Banana Fish, turning them into idiots whose greatest achievement was to wipe their asses, and the discretion of Sing's relatives and friends could be trusted on. Hong Kong didn't make any problems, which meant that the hoax with a clone was successful (or it had been found out, but the android did his job even better than the original, and the possibility filled Yue-lung with conflicting feelings). Sergei had been privy to the conspiracy from the beginning, but he was almost a family member anyway... and someone who knew better than anyone what it meant to hide from his former... um, employer.

The list of the invitees was made, although the guests of the groom had a crushing majority. There was nothing strange about it since Sing liked everyone and everyone liked Sing, while Yue-lung... well. But Sing was the most important to him in the world, and Sergei was the rest of the world, so Yue-lung didn't need anything else. (In other words, Sing was the only person that could stand him, and Sergei tolerated him from a distance).

Then, however, when Sing started to ring around, the problems started. They learned that Sergei was preparing his third novel for publication and found it utterly impossible to leave home anytime soon. Then it appeared that Ash was working on yet another PhD thesis and Eiji wouldn't go anywhere without him. Then Sergei had a series of meetings in US and Europe, and then Ash started to work by Japanese space project and Eiji still wouldn't go anywhere without him. As for Yue-lung's brothers, it was impossible to arrange anything with them because they either didn't understand the topic or managed to forget everything by the next day, and there was absolutely no chance to get anything fixed with the crowd from Manhattan's Chinatown...

And thus half a year passed, and the date was still open. At least, Akira's name no longer happened in the conversation, whoever Akira was.

"I told you that you were naive," Yue-lung didn't spare himself the chance to reproach Sing with that fault, although he was still angry at Sergei for such an unexpected betrayal. "And too nice. 'I'm going to marry, but I don't know what date will be okay for you, so could you suggest something?' Come one, what kind of approach is that?"

But Sing - how typical of him - not only didn't feel offended, but even agreed with him. And announced, "Then we're going to do it your way: we'll set a date and have others respect it. We'll set a date and stick to it, and won't change it, come hell or high water, come the attack of the Aliens or Godzilla, come hurricane or volcanic eruption. Ah, the last one is pretty common here... Anyway, we'll set a date and get married that day despite everything, even if no-one attends, even if the catering won't arrive and the transport of wine gets lost on the way. All right?"

And Yue-lung - how typical of him - came to the conclusion that Sing would never cease to amaze him. And he only said, "All right."

* * *

The wedding was scheduled for the last Saturday of October, and the invitations were sent. Soon, it appeared that no-one objected the date: everybody quickly confirmed their attendance. Maybe it had something to do with the note Yue-lung (in secret from Sing) wrote on most of the cards, 'PS. It's the final date, and there won't be any changes to it, so move your ass here, otherwise we'll be _deadly_ offended. PPS. I know where you live.'

When Sing first got the invitation card in his hands, he blushed like a teenager, although it was obvious he was very happy.

"I can tell you like it," Yue-lung muttered with some embarrassment, but then he realized a funny feeling in his stomach. So far, he'd been pretty indifferent to the idea of the wedding, but now he slowly started to get excited about it.

Without taking his eyes off the white card, Sing nodded and only then glanced at him. "It's the first time our names are written together like this," he said and ran his finger over the stylized letters, then read aloud, "Yue and Sing". They'd decided to write only the names they called each other now, as they'd officially given up their previous ones.

Yue-lung smiled; the funny feeling wouldn't wear off. "By the way... Not that I'm curious or that it matters anything, but what your friends said when you informed them you're going to marry me?" he asked.

Sing closed the invitation and put it on the table. When he glanced at him again, his expression was slightly mystified. "I might have... forgotten to mention it was you," he muttered.

Yue-lung gave him a puzzled look, wondering if he should feel offended or amused. He decided on the latter and snorted with laughter, then walked to Sing and took him by the hands. 'No wonder they didn't relate to the matter with due respect,' he thought. "Although Sergei, that traitor, did know."

"You've been keeping it a secret?" he asked pointedly, still smiling.

Sing leaned down and kissed him. "I wanted to surprise them," he replied.

Yue-lung laughed laud. "They will be surprised like hell."

* * *

As the fall grew near, the wedding gifts started to arrive from all over the world. The future newlyweds received, among others, five fondue sets, two coffee-makers and one rice cooker, an IKEA gift card, signed set of thee novels in 'The Carribean Incident" series, photo album of Ash and Eiji with a coupon for the professional photo session, and a set of quite nice erotic lingerie. Yue-lung guessed most of the givers without looking to the letters attached, but his ingenuity ended with the last gift. Upon reading the name written on the heart-patterned card, he knitted his beautiful eyebrows.

"Who is Akira?" he asked Sing, who'd just come out of the bathroom after washing his hands. "And why do they send us a gift? Did you send them the invitation after all...?"

Sing blushed, which only deepened the wrinkle on Yue-lung's forehead.

"I think Akira and Eiji are cousins, or something like that," his future husband explained, staring at the ceiling. "Akira is coming with Eiji. We met in NY some years ago..."

"Does that man intend to bring his whole family with him?" Yue-lung asked in a theatrical manner, but he soon once more fixed his eyes on Sing, who was still observing the walls, then walked up to stand before him so that they almost touched. "Sing, you never could lie, so it's no use trying," he said in a soft voice. "Who is Akira? You know you don't have to hide it. Whatever you did in NY when I was in Hong Kong... I used to tell you to find yourself someone, myself, so I'm really not the one to call you a cheater," he declared, taking Sing by the hands. "You can tell me, I'm not going to accuse you of anything."

Finally, Sing looked at him, and his gaze was so open and so full of love that Yue-lung suddenly felt like purring when a pleasant shiver ran through his body.

"I did nothing," Sing replied, and Yue-lung knew he believed him. "You are my first and last one, Yue, not only in bed, but here," he touched his chest, then moved his hand onto his forehead, "and here. And everywhere else. I'm yours, and you're mine, forever," he added with emphasis. "I just... I think that in some different life Akira _would be my wife._ "

It was such an incredible answer that Yue-lung had no idea how to react, so he only kept standing and staring at Sing's face in silence, blinking every now and then, and this time Sing wouldn't avert his eyes. Yue-lung was under the impression that love in Sing's gaze covered him like a warm blanker, leaving no space for discussion or even questions.

"You want to show her than _in this life_ you are mine and I am yours, right?" he said in the end.

Sing nodded and then leaned to kiss him. Yue-lung wriggled into his arms and gladly accepted the kiss. When they broke apart, he asked with a smile, "Would you like to see me in an erotic lingerie?"

"I'm sure you'll look great... Though I like you the most without."

"That's what I thought," Yue-lung replied and laughed.

* * *

In the next packet Yue-lung found a treasure: a pair of beautiful gold earrings with a phoenix, clearly a solid piece of workmanship, and a letter from his future mother-in-law.

_Yue, dear, I wish Soo-ling introduced me to you. That boy has always had everything his own way, so I'm happy he finally decided to get married. As I understand it, he got in some troubles and can't show his face around here anymore. I'm glad he at least thought of inviting me for his wedding. I can't wait to meet you, dear, and I believe we will be friends. Since Soo-ling chose you as his second half, you must be a good person. Please, accept these earrings as a gift; they've been in our family for generations and decorated many brides. I have no daughter, so they naturally belong to you now. Although we still don't know each other and asking that may seem like imposing myself, I truly hope you will wear them at the ceremony._

Yue-lung realized he was really moved. He had no idea what touched him the most: openness and positive vigor (apparently, genetically inherited in that family), declaration of unconditional sympathy, or statement, 'you must be a good person'. Well, the last one wasn't actually true... but maybe all members of the Sing family used to perceive the world and people in a specific way.

When Sing inquired about the cause of such emotions, Yue-lung sniffed and showed him the letter.

"It seems she doesn't remember you," Sing said, having read the note.

"Maybe she remembered _that_ Yue was a man, and she repressed that memory," Yue-lung replied with irony, only to turn gloom again the very next moment. "She's going to be terribly disappointed when she finds out it's me indeed..."

"Don't be silly," Sing responded at once, taking his hand. "My mother isn't like that."

"Maybe I should pretend to be a woman, after all?" Yue-lung kept talking, upset. "We'll persuade everyone that I had a sex-change operation or something..."

Sing rolled his eyes, rubbing his thumb against the back of Yue-lung's hand at the same time. "It won't be necessary. I don't really believe anybody considers you a gu," he said, and Yue-lung asked himself if he should feel offended or the contrary. "But do what you want; I'm not going to object any version. It will be all the same for the guest, too; they'll only want to eat and drink," he added with a shocking honesty.

"But I just can't wear these earrings with men's clothes," Yue-lung announced.

"Yue, they will look good on you no matter what clothes you will wear," Sing muttered and tucked the strand of Yue-lung's hair behind his ear. "You would look divine even if you didn't wear anything at all... but that, of course, I won't approve."

Yue-lung felt the corner of his lips twitch. "Sure you won't... You would have nothing to strip off me on our wedding night", he said with a smile.

* * *

Since the day he'd received the earrings, Yue'd become more and more anxious. Maybe the wedding in general stressed him, but Sing thought that it was rather about the meeting with the future mother-in-law and admitting he wasn't a woman, so he would occasionally assure him his mother wouldn't hold it against him.

One day, however, upon coming back from work and finding his beloved in the armchair and in tears, he almost got scared. "What happened, Yue?" he asked, kneeling before him and taking his hands.

Yue glanced at him - he looked great even crying, although the sight evoked affection, above all - and a doleful expression crept onto his face. "I have nothing to wear," he said in a tearful voice.

Sing's level of compassion dropped some two-hundred percent. Yet, he suppressed the sigh and the remark, 'But you have three rooms of clothes,' because he guessed it was about the wedding outfit. "You still have time to buy something," he said patiently. "Or sew."

Yue frowned. "Sing, my abilities with a needle are of a slightly different nature," he said with a reserve; at least, he stopped crying. He shook his head. "The thing is I don't know _what_ I should wear. A dress? A suit? A traditional wedding attire? But men's or women's?"

Sing became speechless; he really had no idea how to answer that. Still, that issue seemed to be weighing down on Yue, so he had to think of something quickly. How did he imagine their wedding ceremony, himself? He knew that. Sand, sea and sun. Flowers, lots of flowers. Nature all around, and Yue in white, his hair loose, wearing the phoenix-earrings and a lei. A beautiful vision.

"For my part, I've no wish to wear a suit, so we may forget it right away," he said, fixing his eyes on his beloved again. "We said goodbye to China, probably forever, so the traditional attire would be out of place."

Yue nodded and waited for more, which gave Sing courage to continue. "So maybe we should do it our way? And local way? Let's wear some white tunics, pants, something like that. I mean, I can wear pants, and you can wear whatever you please. The flowers are the most important anyway. Since we're in Hawaii, the ceremony should take place in the open, don't you think? On the beach, with a volcano in the background. Something light and airy would be the best. No suits, no stiff collared dresses, no boots, no hats. How do you like that?" he asked with hesitation.

For a moment, Yue looked at him in silence, and his gaze had never been so open before. Then he nodded again, smiled timidly and said, "I do like that," as if he'd just waited for Sing to suggest something, determined to accept it.

* * *

The fall was passing quickly, with the plans for ceremony being sometimes stressful and sometimes amusing. Yue took matters into his hands, for he always wanted to have everything under the control. He decided on the menu ('We'll have a catering company take care of it'), planned the accommodation of the guests ('Your mom and Sergei downstairs, my special needs brothers upstairs, your friends from Chinatown in the tent in the yard, and Eiji with his broadly understood family in the hotel'), and provided the two of them with the wedding attire (he ordered the whole van of white, airy clothes to choose the best). Sing only nodded and accepted everything.

However, when five days prior to the ceremony, an airport limousine rode into their yard unexpectedly, delivering - of all people - Blanca and Sing Shui, Yue's whole composure was shattered to pieces, and Sing himself was pretty close to that.

Before he managed to snap out of the shock and surprise, his mother ran up to him. "I came earlier, I just couldn't wait anymore," she called, giving him a hug. "I'm going to help you with preparations. It just won't do that I should be merely a guest on my only son's wedding! Can you believe that I met Mr Blanca in the airport when I tried to get the information about how to get here? He was so nice and offered to give me a ride. But we're almost a family now, given that he's the bride's father... right, Mr Blanca? Come on, Soo-ling, don't let me wait any longer only introduce your fiancée to me already!"

Overwhelmed by that outburst, Sing only stepped to the side and gestured toward his beloved, who was hiding behind his left shoulder and trembling all over.

Shui looked at Yue in confusion, then looked at her son again and asked, "Where?"

"There."

"Where?"

Yue, wearing his normal clothes and no make-up - although he was white as if he had a tone of powder on his face at the moment - raised a shivering hand and said in an equally shivering voice, "I am Yue. We've already met, Mrs Sing..."

Blanca caught the tiny woman before she fell on the ground, and Sing grabbed Yue's arm as his lover appeared close to fainting himself. The three of them were standing in the silence for a moment, clearly perturbed.

"The shock therapy is sometimes the best," Blanca finally spoke.

"I should've prepared her somehow," Sing muttered.

"I think I'll have to return those earrings," Yue announced with regret.

"Don't be silly. Of course you're going to wear them," Shui said, having came to in Blanca's arms and looking at Yue. "They'll look great on you, dear. Now, the things are like that, so let them be. Only, Yue... I certainly hope that you will be willing to call me 'Mom'."

* * *

They were sitting in the living-room downstairs: with Sing and Yue on one couch, and Shui and Blanca facing them on the other. Yue had already gathered himself together after the shock and emotion, just as had Shui. Blanca looked apologetic, but Sing knew that it wasn't the former bodyguard to be blamed.

"Sorry, Mom," he broke the silence. "I should have told you earlier, but there was no good occasion. Anyway, this is Yue, and I love him, so even if it disappoints you, there won't be anybody else by my side," he said with confidence, squeezing Yue's hand. 'Because it's a lifetime kind of love,' he thought and added, "As there never was."

"Soo-ling, that's your happiness in question," his mother replied. "I would be stupid to object it when my son is going to marry a person he was dating as a teenager already. We, the Sings, are faithful. But tell me one thing, you nasty boy: there really was no 'good occasion' for TEN years, hmm?"

Sing felt he was blushing. "You remembered?" he asked faintly.

"I even remember what I was told that time, 'We won't give you any grandchildren'," she responded pointedly.

Yue twitched, and Sing shook his head in a sudden irritation. "Grandchildren?" he repeated. "That one here has never stopped to be a kid, we really don't need more of them."

"But it only adds to Young Master's charm," Blanca expressed his opinion, although nobody asked him.

"As for you, Mr Blanca... I don't understand why you told me you were the bride's father," Shui addressed him with reproach. "It's not nice to deceive an old woman..."

"You're far from being old, Madame, but I do beg your forgiveness," Blanca lowered his head.

"That's because, at some point, Sergei was like a father to me," Yue suddenly spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "As for 'the bride'... Well, deep inside I'm really a women, so it wasn't a flat lie either."

Shui stared at him, her expression clearly saying, 'Young people today and their whims...' "So, is there anything else I should know about you?" she asked with irony. "And why 'Young Master'?"

Yue straightened his back, still squeezing Sing's hand. "My full... my real name is Lee Yue-lung," he said calmly. "I'm the youngest son of the New York's Lee family. Yes, _that_ Lee family. I'm also a leader of the Lee Syndicate in Hong Kong... but we performed some hoax, and now I'm able to live a quiet life here. With Sing," he added with emphasis. "That's one of the reasons why we had to keep everything a secret. I'm hoping I can count on your discretion... and be just 'Yue' for you... _Mom._ "

* * *

The next three days were filled with something akin to a pleasant chaos, caused by Shui being everywhere. She spent time preparing the wedding feast, walking on long walks with Sergei, giving Sing advices on marital relations, and admiring Yue-lung as she kept persuading him into frequent change of clothes and hairdos.

"I always wanted to have a daughter," she confided in Yue-lung, whom she obviously accepted as a part of the family. "Unfortunately, my husband died when Soo-ling was only four..."

Yue-lung didn't mind her talkativeness, especially that he could learn many embarrassing facts from Sing's life. He didn't object the dress-ups either, as they both seemed to enjoy it. He was relieved to have her like him... even thought he should have known that from the beginning. Sing and his mother were alike, and equally special.

The day before the wedding, other guests arrived. Yue-lung's brothers came smiling and ignorant; fortunately, all it took was to send them on the beach, and there was no need to be bothered with them for the rest of the day. Half of Chinatown, invited more or less directly, arrived aboard the same plane, but Yue-lung decided not to introduce himself to them, especially that most of Sing's old friends still had no idea ihe/i was a bride. Nadia and several women joined Shui in the kitchen, no matter how many times Sing tried to convince them they will have a catering. 'There's never too much food,' was the answer he got every time.

Ash and Eiji came from their hotel in the town to say hello, and at least Ash behaved as if he were the greatest star of this celebration. Upon seeing Yue-lung, he only said, "Ah, it's you," and his voice indicated he couldn't care less and had come here only for Sing. For his part, Eiji went pale, although - as befitted a nice and friendly Japanese person - he wished them all happiness with a trembling voice. Then he quickly walked away to supposedly survey the place and secure the best spots for taking shots, while Ash went to examine the local flora and fauna. In the afternoon, they were paid an unexpected visit by Dino Golzine, whom neither Yue-lung nor Sing had invited; the mafioso explained he was spending holiday in his residence in Hawaii and decided to pay his respects.

"I'm scared to think who else will come," Yue-lung said with irony when most of the guest had been more or less processed. "Hopefully, no-one from Hong Kong... Whose idea was it to throw a huge wedding reception? We could have had a modest ceremony with only closest family attending."

"Well... Yeah... Uhm..." Sing agreed, clearly looking out for someone in the crowd. "Hey, Akira! Here!"

Yue-lung moved closer to him when a petite Japanese girl beamed upon seeing Sing and walked up to them. Yue-lung observed her closely. She must have been in her teens and wasn't exactly pretty, but warmth in her eyes made her look like a real beauty. The next moment it struck Yue-lung how much she and Sing were alike. 'Wife in another life, right?' They really fit together... and too much.

"Sing, I'm so happy for you, and I wish you all the best! Thanks for inviting me!" she exclaimed, getting out of the welcome embrace, and then turned to Yue-lung. "You are Yue, aren't you? I'm glad to meet you. I'm Ibe Akira," she introduced herself and extended her hand, but then she hesitated... and the next second that amazing smile reached her eyes again, filling her with light. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

* * *

Sing's friends threw a stag party, but Yue-lung flatly declined to participate in anything of that kind. The party lasted all night and consumed most of the prepared food (fortunately, there was catering coming tomorrow) and half of provisions of the local liquor store. Yue-lung would've rather thought that on the night before wedding he wouldn't sleep because of stress, nerves or excitement, but the main reason of his insomnia was noise. It was almost morning when the company finally passed out, and Yue-lung managed to get some two hours of sleep before dawn, just like the not-so-good old depressive days...

He waked up when the eastern skies was turning pink, but he realized he wasn't tired at all; he was excited. It could be that he only now realized he and Sing were going to get married today... promise each other to be together for the rest of their days. He winced; he was certain they didn't need such promises - the two they had made long ago were enough: 'You're going to be my last' and 'I'm going to stay'. However, apparently Sing found it important that their relationship was formalized, and Yue-lung didn't mean to spoil his fun. Actually, he'd been doing everything to accommodate him in a while...

The weather forecast had been warning against the hurricane approaching the archipelago, but the sky was clear and the air was still, so there was a chance that the wedding would proceed without any disturbance. They still had to pick the flowers to their leis, though, and it was a good occasion to go for a walk... to get away from the crowd that was currently filling their house; in the last two years, Yue-lung had forgot all about crowds. He took a shower and then - on impulse - put on a white dress. He and Sing planned to wear pants and tunics during the ceremony, but that would happen later in the afternoon. He combed his hair in front of the mirror and let them dry, wondering again if getting married would change anything in their life. He was sure it wouldn't.

He was so immersed in thought that he didn't notice - he, who had once reacted to the slightest movement and tiniest sound - when Sing appeared behind his back and hugged him.

"My beautiful bride," Sing muttered in his hair.

"It you want a bride, I'm certain Akira will be more than happy," Yue-lung replied pointedly.

"In another life," Sing said calmly, never taking away his arms. Their eyes met in the mirror. "You're beautiful, Yue."

Yue-lung said nothing; he was looking at his reflection. He'd always known he was beautiful, but it was knowledge that didn't evoke any emotions. Although he was almost thirty, his skin was still young and his hip-length hair was strong and lustrous, all because of proper treatment. Maybe for some five years yet he would be able to keep fooling people about his age, saying he'd just turned twenty... But it needed something more to actually _appreciate_ and _enjoy_ it, and he'd received that something from Sing; when Sing confirmed that knowledge, it became truth and something valuable.

"Wear the earrings," Sing asked softly.

Yue-lung rolled his eyes but granted that request without any objection. Gold flickered subtly in black hair, as if it'd only waited to get there.

"Would you rather that I were a woman?" Yue-lung asked on impulse, still looking in the mirror.

"No," Sing answered at once, with confidence. "I'm glad that you are who you are."

Yue-lung smiled; he believed that fully. "I was planning to pick the flowers and to make us the leis. I can't sleep," he informed.

"I'll come with you, I only have to take a shower," Sing declared and yawned. "Maybe I'll wake up."

Soon, they slipped out of the sleeping house and went to the grove that grew just behind their property. Sing too had put on the white clothes, which Yue-lung didn't comment... as he didn't the fact that Sing grabbed his hand as they walked. The day had brightened up already, the birds were singing in the thicket, and the gulls were screaming over the bay. The air was fresh.

"How do you make a lei, exactly?" Sing asked as they moved among the colorful bushes.

"It's very sweet of you to ask," Yue-lung replied somewhat mockingly. "You take a needle and thread, and string the flowers. I have everything I need here," he raised the bag in his other hand.

"A needle? Why, you're going to do just great," Sing commented, and Yue-lung snickered.

They gathered two bags of the orchid, plumeria and tuberose flowers and the Ti leaves. Sing tucked a purple orchid behind Yue-lung's ear. They ate some bananas for breakfast. The road made them come near the ocean again. In the meantime, it'd turned hot, so they hid in the entrance of the seaside cave, where Yue-lung started to make the leis and Sing - to make himself useful - kept passing him the flowers, although he dozed off in the middle. Finally, the two garlands were finished, and Sing was still sound asleep. Yue-lung didn't want to wake hip. 'We still have time,' he thought, staring at Sing's serene face with a smile, and then made himself comfortable next to him.

* * *

He waked in chill and dampness, and growing noise of waves breaking on the shore. The sea was rough and as gray as the skies above, though it was pretty hard to see through the wall of rain. Protected by the rock, Sing and he were still dry, as the wind was blowing from the other side of the island.

Sing, that incredible sleeper, waked only when Yue-lung, leaning against him until now, moved. He sat up, blinked and said, "It's pouring."

"That's a very astute observation, Sing Soo-ling," Yue-lung replied ironically. "Let me add that it's also blowing quite hard. It's probably that hurricane they've been forecasting for days."

Sing looked out of the cave to examine the road they had come here. "Um, it seems we won't get home for a moment," he announced, slightly abashed. "It's too slippery, and too risky with that wind. They'll be worried about us, but they must've guessed we've found ourselves a safe place. We still have a few bananas, and if we move further into the cave, we should get warmer."

Yue-lung nodded; the volcanic activity underground provided warmth. Sing caught some rainwater into the bottle, and they went deeper into the cave. It was situated pretty high and couldn't be flooded, so they didn't need to stay in the entrance. Then again, there was no point in getting to deep only to sit in the darkness. Behind a turn the air wasn't so damp anymore and there was enough light to be able to see something. They sat down by the wall. Sing put one arm around Yue-lung's shoulders, and Yue-lung rested against him.

"Everything will be fine," Sing spoke all of the sudden, and Yue-lung was so astonished he looked at him in disbelief... although the words filled him with a funny feeling inside his chest.

"Sing, if you think I'm scared, you're mistaken," he muttered.

"Then, you're probably upset because we missed our wedding," Sing kept guessing.

"That would be you," Yue-lung replied at once. "It was you who wanted it so much." Sing said nothing, so Yue-lung turned his head again to look at him. "Well, it was only to be expected. If it weren't a hurricane, then we would probably have an earthquake. Or the attack of the Aliens, or..."

"Or Godzilla's attack," Sing said, laughing. "In that case, let's have it here."

"What?" Yue-lung asked with a frown.

"Our wedding ceremony. We're wearing white, we have the leis instead of the rings and we have ourselves, that's just enough. I told you we would get married on the set day no matter what. Didn't I?"

Yue-lung went speechless... and then realized he actually didn't mind it. That he would actually like it. That it would actually be just fine, with only the two of them, far from the rest of world... That it actually should be like that.

"All right," he replied, and Sing's smile lit the darkness.

Sing rose and reached his hand, so Yue-lung got up as well and turned to him. His heart was beating fast and hard. They put the lei around each other's neck and clasped their hands together again. For a moment, they only looked one another in the eye, and then Sing spoke.

"I, Sing Soo-... No, just Sing, I take you, Yue, as my partner and companion for life, and I vow to love and respect you until the day I die," he said, and his voice was firm, "or even longer. To be beside you in sickness and in health, in happiness and misery, in hurricane and earthquake, in attack of the Alien or Godzilla, and in every perfectly normal days. To support you and to protect you from every evil, every sadness and every harm. To help you in need and to always put your well-being at the first place. Even if the whole world should turn against you, I will always be with you... no, I'll be your other half."

Yue-lung was staring at him in a complete daze, although some part of him knew Sing was that kind of a man who could utter such words and believe and make believe each of them were true. He gulped, suddenly so happy he felt dizzy... so happy he could cry... But he'd been happy for the last ten years, so there was really no need to get emotional now. Sing was staring back at him, and his gaze was calm, but the fingers on Yue-lung's ones twitched, as if waiting. Even though Yue-lung had always been the eloquent one of them two, now he knew fully he could never compose equally mesmerizing vow... but the reply, 'Me too,' wouldn't do in this situation. He gulped once more, blinked, looked away and then back at the man who had just pledged him his life. Again.

"I..." he started and cleared his throat as only whisper came out of him. "I, Yue, take you, Sing, as my partner and companion for life, and I vow to lo-" He stopped short. He felt dizzy again, but the firm grasp of Sing's hand anchored him in reality. "Have I ever told you that I love you?" he asked quietly, suddenly realizing it.

"No, but now is the perfect moment," Sing replied, and his words rang with a hidden smile.

Yue-lung nodded and started again. He felt his cheeks burn, but... it was okay. "I, Yue, take you, Sing, as my partner and companion for life, and I vow to love you every day until my death, stay with you in good and bad times, respect you and help you every way I can. To be faithful to you both in body and soul, and never betray your trust. To be..." His voice broke again, but he wasn't giving up. "To be your other half."

Sing took him in his arms and hugged him close, and kept holding him, while Yue-lung tried to contain his tears. He didn't want to cry because it was a special moment... a happy moment. Even if that vow didn't change anything between them, it was good to say and hear it. He pressed his cheek against Sing's shirt, and they stayed like that in silence. The wind and the sea were raging outside, but here everything was warm and calm.

Finally, he raised his face, and Sing wiped the last tears from his eyes before leaning down and kissing him. "I'm happy, Yue," he said softly and smiled, but his eyes were glistening, and he blinked quickly. When he spoke again, his voice was but a whisper, "I love you."

And Yue-lung thought that - even though he'd considered himself as someone who didn't deserve love - he'd never doubted it. It'd taken him a bit longer to discover that also the other belief being his dogma for years - that he was someone who couldn't love - wasn't true.

"I love you, Sing," he said. His voice was no longer trembling, so he could take advantage of it... and make up for several years. "I love you," he repeated and smiled. "I love you."

Sing moaned, then cupped his face and kissed him harder. Yue-lung was more than happy to respond to that kiss. Sing's hands moved into his hair, onto his neck, onto his back, onto his hips, pressing him against his own body. When they broke apart, short of breath, Yue-lung whispered, "It's only noon, but I think we may proceed to the wedding night already."

And Sing laughed softly and didn't object.

* * *

_Bonus_

Shui was sitting in the corner and sobbing.

"Everything will be all right," Sergei tried to comfort her. "Your son can take care of himself and his beloved. I'm sure they found a place to hide."

Shui shook her head and started crying even louder. "I so much wanted to see Yue in those earrings," she uttered. "I'm sure he would look beautiful. And now there's no chance for the wedding..."

"We'll have the ceremony once they are back," Sergei patted her on the shoulder; in his thought, he came to the conclusion Sing's way of thinking was somewhat less twisted.

"We have enough food to survive that cataclysm," Akira said optimistically. "Though I'm afraid the drinks won't last much longer," she added pointedly, looking into the adjacent room, where the NY Chinese gang kept celebrating, without giving a damn about the missing young couple.

"I don't know why we must be here," Ash said displeased, walking away from the window and sitting down on the coach with his arms folded. "I really have enough taiphoons in my daily life..."

Eiji clung to him right away and hugged him, asking nervously, "But you like Japan, right? You don't plan to move away, do you, Ash? Ash?!"

"Of course I don't," he was assured at once, and Ash even cast him a startled look. "Even now I miss our home in Kyūshū, Eiji... I miss it so much."

Now there were stars in Eiji's eyes. "Oh, Ash..."

Sergei looked away. Shui was still sobbing in the corner, in unison with the rain outside.

"Maybe we should organize another wedding in the meantime?" Akira suggested in a bright voice. "Hands up who's still free," she commanded, raising her arm.

No-one reacted. Ash and Eiji were engaged (in both contexts), Shui didn't pay attention to anyone, and Sergei sneaked out. Akira's face fell along with her arm.

Shorter rushed into the room and looked around. "Hey... Anyone remembered to bring the Lee brothers back from the beach...?" he asked alarmed.

Sergei decided Sing and Yue-lung had done the right thing, running away from this madness. Wherever they might be, they were surely together - and that was just enough.

**Author's Note:**

> And they lived happily ever after! As for me, I'll be happily awaiting your comments!


End file.
